The private event was held at the home of Harris and Fran Morrissette in Mobile. Guests paid $1,000 apiece to attend the reception, $2,500 for a picture with Mrs. Romney or $5,000 to be listed on the host committee.

U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, served as honorary host for the reception, but did not attend because of a voting conflict in Congress.

The total raised wasn’t immediately available, but organizers said attendance was good and that they met their financial target despite short notice for the event.

Ann Romney, a former first lady of Massachussetts, “was lovely, poised, relaxed and very articulate,” said Bradley Byrne, who served as a host with his wife, Rebecca Byrne. “Everyone there was very impressed and pretty fired up about our chances nationally.”

Byrne said another local fundraiser for Romney is already in the works for late August or early September, after the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. 

Money talks

Ann Romney’s visit to Mobile could help widen her husband’s fundraising lead in Alabama over President Barack Obama.

As of Friday, Romney had raised $483,594 statewide, compared to $370,622 for Obama, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Obama, however, held a substantial lead over Romney in Mobile. The FEC showed that Obama had raised a total of $60,134 in the Mobile area, compared to $34,350 for Romney. The former Massachussetts governor still trails GOP rival Rick Santorum ($60,050) in local donations, even though Santorum suspended his campaign April 10.

Among the state’s larger cities, Obama led Romney in Mobile and Huntsville, while Romney held the advantage in Birmingham and Montgomery. 

Who is that masked man? 

Mod Mobilian, a blog that focuses on Mobile Bay arts and culture, weighed into local politics in a recent posting that lampooned coverage of Mayor Sam Jones’ campaign finance reporting.

“Shocking new campaign finance abominations” reads the headline on a story and video that details a litany of questionable campaign expenditures, from Delmonico restaurant in Miami to the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. Thousands more dollars were spent on Alabama and Auburn football tickets, iTunes purchases and jewelry, plus liquor stores, night clubs and hotels across the state.

The catch? None of those expenses were made by Jones, whose campaign bookkeeping is under scrutiny by local media, including the Press-Register. Instead, they came from Alabama elected officials including former Gov. Bob Riley, state Rep. Jim Barton, R-Mobile, Attorney General Luther Strange and even Mobile District Attorney Ashley Rich, whose office is investigating Jones’ use of campaign funds.

In the video, a masked commenter — who later identified himself to the Skinny as former Press-Register Reporter Eddie Curran — expresses mock outrage that Jones would attempt to pass off such expenses without proper documentation. But upon closer inspection of the expense forms, the masked Curran reveals that they were actually submitted by other public officials.

“For some (expletive) reason, when you go to Sam’s Club, it’s (expletive) national news,” said Curran, addressing his comments to Jones. “You provided the actual supporting detail of your supporting documents, which has never been done before in the history of Alabama politics. We don’t know what all these other people got.”

Jackson, speaking at a voter rally in Milwaukee, said the election was a big moment in the history of democracy, according to a report by the Journal-Sentinel newspaper of Milwaukee.

Jackson, the newspaper said, used his 10-minute speech to compare the vote to defining moments in U.S. history like Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 speech in Washington, D.C., the lynching death of 14-year-old Emmett Till and Barack Obama’s nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate in 2008.

He also mentioned the courage of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger while riding a bus in Montgomery, Ala.

“So now you have a governor: (George) Wallace did it in Alabama and now Walker in Wisconsin, trying to take back access to vote,” said Jackson, referring to Wisconsin’s new voter ID law that is under challenge in state courts. “We’re fighting wars for democracy abroad, undermining democracy at home. We deserve better.”

Walker, a Republican, defeated the effort by Democrats and organized labor to remove him from office. 

Legal moves

Former U.S. Immigration Judge D. Anthony Rogers joined the Ratliff Legal Group of Mobile. Rogers served as a federal immigration judge in Dallas for 17 years until his retirement in 2010.

Former Mobile County District Attorney and Circuit Judge Chris Galanos has joined the Atchison Firm of Mobile, uniting him with former political rival Jim Atchison. 

Jo Bonner town hall schedule

U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, will hold a series of town hall meetings across the 1st Congressional District this week.

Bonner’s schedule includes:

Today: 9 a.m.-11 a.m. in Grand Bay at the St. Elmo Senior and Community Center

11 a.m.-noon at Dauphin Island Town Hall

2 p.m.-3 p.m. at West Mobile Regional Senior Community Center

4 p.m.-5 p.m. in Toulminville Missionary Baptist Church

Tuesday: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. at Frisco City Hall

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. First Baptist Church in Peterman

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. in Monroeville at Old Monroe County Courthouse

Wednesday: 10 a.m.-11 a.m. at Town Hall in McIntosh

2 p.m.-3 p.m. at Town Hall in Chatom

4 p.m.-5 p.m. at Creola City Hall

Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. at Spanish Fort City Hall

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Atmore Municipal Auditorium

1 p.m.-2 p.m. at Town Hall in Pollard

2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. at Town Hall in East Brewton

Friday: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. at Silverhill City Hall

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at St. Francis at the Point in Point Clear

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. at Glenlakes Golf Club in Foley

3 p.m.-4 p.m. at Gulf Shores City Hall

Announcements

The Baldwin County GOP will hold its summer dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Robertsdale Coliseum. The keynote speaker will be best-selling author Andy Andrews of Orange Beach. The dinner will be preceded by a VIP Reception at 6 p.m. The last day to purchase tickets is today, and they may be purchased online at www.BaldwinGOP.com. For more information, call 251-980-6259. 

The Azalea City Republican Women will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at Heron Lakes Country Club. Guest speakers will be state Sen. Rusty Glover and state Rep. Chad Fincher. For reservations or ride assistance, call Carol Peterson at 251-479-9970.

The Alabama Republican Party will host a “Patriot’s Dinner” on June 22 in Montgomery featuring U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla. Tickets for the event, to be held at 6 p.m. June 22 at the Renaissance Hotel, are $150 and available through the party at 205-212-5900. 

The Mobile County Democratic Executive Committee will meet at 6 p.m. June 21 at Mobile Democratic Headquarters, 918 Government St.

_____

Today’s column was compiled by Political Editor George Talbot. Want more Skinny? Talbot will discuss it live at 7 a.m. today on FM Talk 106.5 with Sean & Wayne. 